Kosovo: Prizren

Prizren, Kosovo: city panorama
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I took a 20+ minute early-morning walk to the bus station for a ride to Prizren in southern Kosovo.  En route to the terminal I wandered through a shopping mall where I found a small souvenir shop that sold little UCK (Kosovo Liberation Army, known as terrorists to Serbs and many others) ribbons, complete with a mini-suction cup to use in the car.  Excellent trinkets to add to my collection.

As I approached the bus station, some guy started yelling "Prizren" at me, and I wasn't sure it was a legit service, as we were still outside the terminal.  He insisted a bus would be there in two minutes for the hour and a half or so ride, and, he was surprisingly correct.

The Beautiful City Beneath Sar Mountain

Prizren, Kosovo: damaged serb church
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I jumped on the old school bus outfitted with a DVD player and enjoyed the hilarious Albanian music videos, most of which featured gorgeous girls that sing similar songs and can't dance.

As we passed the numerous hotels (who stays there?) with their NATO and United States flags out front, I also noticed another curious trend - outdoor olympic size swimming pools.  All virtually empty.  It's a wonder how they make any money, or even how they got the money to build these pools.  I must have counted at least five on the way to Prizren.  Somewhat bizarre to me.

Prizren, Kosovo: rustic market
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Prizren is a large, picturesque city, population around 165,000.   There are mountains around the downtown and the remnants of an old castle atop one of them.  As I neared the bus station, we passed another Bill Clinton restaurant, featuring a smiling Bubba on its large sign.  I tried finding the restaurant later to take a picture, but was unable to navigate the confusing maze of Prizren's downtown.

Roaming Prizren's labyrinthine streets reminded me of Istanbul, although not as hectic.  There were several beautiful mosques, as well as Serb Orthodox Churches that had been destroyed during the Albanian Kosovar violence of 2004.  I wandered to the pleasant main square and ate a fantastic gyros plate as the youth of Prizren drank their coffee at one of the numerous outdoor cafes.

Prizren, Kosovo: a typical prizren street
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Prizren is far and away more beautiful than Pristina - cleaner, more quaint, and, seemingly, a cultural hotspot.  I wanted to head up to the castle but couldn't figure out how to get up there.  I asked a few United States NATO peacekeepers, but they were of no help to me.  The generous postcard vendor, however, provided me with pinpoint directions and I began yet another tiring castle trek.

During my ascent, and also along my journey through downtown, several little kids kept running up to me and laughing at my shorts.  Somewhere that morning I ripped a pretty large hole in the back of my shorts, and, since there was nothing I could do about it, I let it be, much to the amusement of virtually every kid who walked by me.

Prizren, Kosovo: city street
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About halfway up the trail was a heavily shelled Serb Orthodox Church, now protected by large barricades and NATO troops to prevent further damage by the local Albanians.  There were two little kids in front of the church who acted as gofers for the troops, and they would run up and down the path with candy and drinks.  They were thrilled that I was American, and were beyond excited to use the few words of English they had picked up.  "How are you?"  "Good!"  "Bye!"

Prizren, Kosovo: a central mosque by what is supposedly a river
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There wasn't much to the castle, but the views were spectacular.  Just as I hit the summit, the Islamic prayer call began and a pleasing, synchronous atonal roar spread throughout the city.  It was a powerful moment.

I roamed through the poorly maintained castle grounds, snapped a couple panoramas, and ventured down back to the city.  I picked up some more unique souvenirs, my favorite of which is the Kosova wristband and hailed a cab back to the bus terminal.

My driver was a young male who could not believe he was driving an American.  He seemed genuinely excited, and tried hard to converse in English.  Proudly, he got the security guard at the terminal gate to let us through to the area only buses were allowed.  Before I departed he asked me if I had MSN Messenger and wrote down his e-mail address for me to contact him.

Prizren, Kosovo: just off the main square
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My bus ride back to Pristina consisted of new music videos, many of which were vintage American songs from Madonna and other, primarily 1980s artists whose names I can't recall.  Forgettable I guess.  Overall, Prizren impressed me, and, despite the city being heavily hit during the Kosovo War, I would highly recommend a visit there (I probably should have stayed overnight myself).